This invention relates generally to refrigeration.
A thermoacoustic engine is a device that employs a tube containing hot and cold end heat exchangers thermally linked by a stack of parallel plates or by a regenerator matrix to convert thermal energy to acoustic or pressure energy. The work of the acoustic energy can be used to produce mechanical work, electricity or refrigeration. The thermal energy provided to the thermoacoustic engine is typically not fully used in the thermoacoustic engine to generate the acoustic energy. A system for gainfully employing the remnant thermal energy from a thermoacoustic engine, such as to produce refrigeration, would be highly desirable.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a system for employing remnant thermal energy from a thermoacoustic engine to generate refrigeration.
The above and other objects, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure, are attained by the present invention, one aspect of which is:
A method for generating refrigeration comprising:
(A) producing a hot fluid and using a first portion of the heat of the hot fluid to produce acoustic energy;
(B) providing a high pressure heat pump solution comprising refrigerant and absorbent, and using a second portion of the heat of the hot fluid to warm the high pressure heat pump solution and to separate the high pressure heat pump solution into refrigerant fluid and absorbent fluid;
(C) expanding the refrigerant fluid to generate refrigeration and providing refrigeration from the refrigerant fluid to a heat load;
(D) mixing the resulting refrigerant fluid with absorbent fluid to produce reconstituted heat pump solution; and
(E) increasing the pressure of the reconstituted heat pump solution to produce said high pressure heat pump solution.
Another aspect of the invention is:
Apparatus for generating refrigeration comprising:
(A) a thermoacoustic engine, a refrigerant generator, means for passing a hot fluid to the thermoacoustic engine, and means for passing the hot fluid from the thermoacoustic engine to the refrigerant generator;
(B) an expansion device and means for passing refrigerant fluid from the refrigerant generator to the expansion device;
(C) a heat exchanger and means for passing refrigerant fluid from the expansion device to the heat exchanger;
(D) an absorber, means for passing refrigerant fluid from the heat exchanger to the absorber, and means for passing absorbent fluid from the refrigerant generator to the absorber; and
(E) a compression device, means for passing fluid from the absorber to the compression device, and means for passing fluid from the compression device to the refrigerant generator.